I worry that I think about Harry Potter too much.

I’m much too new at this whole blogging thing to be this bad at updating. The funny thing is that I don’t wait until I have enough time to blog. On a normal day I probably have a good anywhere from 3-5 hours perfect for blogging. When I have free time though, I just always find something else to do. It’s when I really need to get something important done that I suddenly find myself blogging as a distraction. Distractions can be healthy. At least I think so.

I’m reading Blue Like Jazz right now. I feel like if I want to fit in with all the trendy Christians I need to be able to quote Donald Miller at a moment’s notice. No, that’s not really why. I just thought it seemed like a good book to read. And thus far ol Don hasn’t proved me wrong. I feel like on days where I use a good portion of my allotted brain power reading this book, I tend to make quirky analogies about God and life just like Donald Miller. Only not at all like Donald Miller because nobody would pay to read them. I also have a tendency to think up (what I am just certain at the time are) great profundities as I am sleeping. In moments like these I rush to jot down my thoughts so as to ponder them at a later time. The most recent of these being:

“Do you think God laughs with us or do you think he’s kind of like Dumbledore? Like, he’ll smile down at you if you make a joke but won’t really chime in.”

I’m not sure what I said to God before that to make me wonder whether or not he laughed. I’m also not sure if it is at all sac-religious to compare God to Dumbledore, but I did it anyway. Of all the characters in all the books ever written, I would say that Dumbledore is hands down the most comparable to God. Except maybe Aslan. Or Jesus…

Enough of that.

So spring break came and went much too quickly and now the days drag on. Sometimes I really hate how time flies and I especially hate to entertain the idea that it will only go by more quickly as I get older. I recognize this as a truth, it is only logical. As we get older each year becomes a smaller fraction or our entire life. When we’re 4, a year is a quarter of our life. At 40 well, it’s a lot less.

I just think time is so fascinating, but at the same time it makes my head spin. I think the best thing to do is to just live in each moment and milk it for all its worth.

Goodnight.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

I really need to work updating this into my regular schedule. Who am I kidding? I have no regular schedule.

First of all, praise the good Lord it is 47 degrees out. Now, I really do try not to complain about things but the cold was becoming just a little much to bear. I am immensely grateful to be able to experience 4 beautiful seasons, but winter may have overstayed its welcome this year. Not so much that even, perhaps it was just its (his, her? what gender do you think winter would be?) sheer intensity that left us desperately awaiting spring.

I have always said that fall is my favorite season and as much as I do love the autumn air and the changing leaves, I am beginning to think that it is the transition from each season to the next that I love more than anything else. I love the anticipation. I love that there is something to look forward to about each season. I love the mere break from the monotony of whatever season we are currently in that I am inevitably bored of. And I love the wardrobe change. There is nothing like busting out your sun dresses and sandals or unpacking your favorite sweaters.

We are starting to get into that period of mother nature's identity crisis. It's not quite spring but winter is certainly (cross your fingers) on her (I think winter would be a big powerful woman) way out. However, everyone is so excited about a temperature increase of a few degrees that they are already running wild in their booty shorts and flip flops. I appreciate their enthusiasm but I think they might be a little premature. After all, it still has yet to hit 50. But hey, who am I to judge?

As for me, I will continue sporting my unbuttoned coat as I love to do during said transitional periods. I find it provides just the right amount of warmth and breeze (not to mention liberating my chic sense of style from the bondage of my pea-coat which it has so long been under). I have also broken out my flats and what a joyous occasion that has been.

Lastly, I have had poor Theodore, my bike, U-locked to my porch for a good 2-3 months and I think it is finally time for him to journey back to campus. Although the distance between all my courses is too small for ole Theo to be of actual transportational (not a word) use, I cannot wait to just ride it around campus.

The moral of this post, intended to be about my love for the great outdoors and life's various seasons, has turned into fashion word vomit. My apologies. I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful sunshine wherever you may be.

Finally...

Sorry (to all 3 of you who read this) for taking so long to update.

The only reason I'm even updating now is to distract myself from studying. That's a good enough reason, right?

I went home last weekend to visit family that I haven't seen in years and it was so good. It was brief, but I enjoyed it. We began cleaning out my grandma (Memaw)'s house. I found some pretty sweet things including this super retro camera. It's beautiful, looks much cooler in person.

I've begun to seriously consider UMKC for school next year. I think it would be really great to be close to some of the most important people in my life. Not to mention paying a fraction of the price. And of course, living in the heart of Kansas City. My roommate, Alexis, and I will be braving the mega bus next weekend to come home and check it out.

These last several months I've kind of taken on the motto of never wishing time away. It's hard because I tend to get super excited about things in the future and yearn for them to come so much that I lose sight of the now. I just want to push through it to the part I'm looking forward to. That's not right though. I don't want to just get through life waiting for the next exciting thing to happen. Everyday has something amazing to offer if you just look for it. I'm all about being progressive and moving forward but not at the cost of losing today.

What's the point of living each day just waiting for tomorrow?

I've recently become obsessed with this Australian singer/songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke. She opened for Ben Folds when I saw him in September and she was unbelievable. She has a beautifully unique voice and can also sing opera which she incorporates into a lot of her songs. She's really funky which I love. Anyway, she has these lyrics which go:

If we could save time, where would we keep it?
If we could keep time, when could we use it?
If we waste time, will it waste us

Are we too much like time, impossible to define?

I just really like that. And her. Check her out on Itunes but I must warn you, her stuff is a little eccentric. She is extremely talented though, I assure you. Also, being from Australia automatically makes her awesome. I'm dying to go there.

My other new(ish) motto can be found in the URL for this page: find the beauty in life. I know that sounds a little corny but I don't mean for it to be. I'm not talking about seeing beauty in the already beautiful things like roses and sunsets. I am talking about looking past the negative and trying to find something beautiful. It makes life so much more enjoyable. I keep becoming more and more aware of how completely useless it is to complain. Cursing the cold weather doesn't make it warmer, but how amazing is the intricacy of a snowflake? We are so quick to focus on the negative but that gets us nowhere. Not to mention how ugly it makes us. I've been observing people's faces walking to class and it is pretty easy to point out the negative from the positive. I LOVE seeing happy strangers who smile back. love it.

Okay, I should really get back to my studies so I can go to sleep soon. I have fallen a little bit ill which is rare for me, not that I'm complaining...

Thanks for reading. I hope a fabulous weekend is in store for you.

Cold Sunlight is Better Than No Sunlight.

I'm lacking profundity today so I think I'll go with bullets:

a. My room is unbearably cold right now. The rest of the apartment is fine while my room is like the frozen tundra. sheesh.

b. I just want to point out how wonderful it was to see the sun this weekend. I love waking up to the sunlight seeping into my room even though I know it's still cold outside. I'm obsessed with sunshine.

c. Thanks to bullet b, as the sun was going down yesterday the sky was an array of blue shades. The specific shade that was taking up most of the sky around 6 was the most gorgeous color. I couldn't stop staring at it.

d. I fell asleep in my class today for the first time this semester. whoops.

e. I also walked on water today so I think that should cover for my academic delinquency. Yes?

I think so.
f. My best friend Courtney is in Chile right now and let me borrow her keyboard while she is gone. I practiced piano for a few hours today and even though I'm rusty and it takes me longer than it should to learn things, it's really nice to play again.

h. LOST starts back up tomorrow and I can hardly contain my excitement... even though after watching every episode last season I still have no idea what's going on. Just part of the beauty of the show.

That's all for now. It's almost 4 am and I should be asleep. Happy February, everyone.

La Vie Célibataire.

Upon checking my email just now I noticed one from eHarmony, the subject reading "Find other singles like you." ...ahem. That is rather presumptuous of you, eHarmony. Just what makes you think I'm so single? And even if I am, which would be none of your business, what makes you think I would be so desperate to use you (not that everyone who uses eHarmony is desperate)? I'm not mad. It doesn't offend me or do irreparable damage of any sort. I just thought it was kind of funny. And ridiculous.

I didn't necessarily plan for that to lead me into a deeper topic but it got me thinking about how incredibly frightened we are of being single. It really makes me sad and a little worried. Are we so co-dependent that we simply must have someone else in our lives to feel whole? I fully understand how great it is to be in love. I get why that is something that people wish for. This doesn't have to mean, however, that anything less than that is meaningless. I worry that people don't value themselves enough to be happy even when alone. I wish they would.

To end on a lighter note: the sun was shining so brightly today I could almost swear it was spring. I am so so so eager for spring. It's such a beautiful time of year. But I've really been trying not to wish time away. There may be something great off in the distance but I don't want to lose sight of what today has to offer... you know? But I am quite excited for spring.

I Owe It All To Purple Hair.

I saw a girl with the most beautiful purple hair the other day. It was a subtle purple, a concept I had no prior knowledge of as I often find purple to be obnoxious. Not her's though. It was as if God had designed her with purple hair or something. It blew me away... and that is when I decided I wanted to start a blog.

I already have so many things I want to post on here. I think it is entirely possible that I have more thoughts than the average person. By saying that, I do not mean to imply that I am a deeply philosophical person. I simply draw this conclusion from the amount of time my brain spends away from what it should really be focusing on. I don't want to post too much now because then you won't read it. Will you? I don't believe you.

I'm almost done, I promise. Just one little story:
Today, as I was doing the dance we are all so familiar with: shuffle-down-the-aisle-of-your-giant-lecture-hall, I came across a rather largely unaccompanied region in the middle of the auditorium. There was this one seat with the desk already swiveled into place and I thought to myself "Yes. This is where I should sit." It was just so inviting, like it was waiting for me. You might find it silly but... that's why it's my blog and not yours.

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day.